


Watch It All Turn To Dust

by i_once_wrote_a_dream



Series: Fictober 2019 [3]
Category: SKAM (Norway), SKAM (TV) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, M/M, Minor Violence, Survival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22163407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_once_wrote_a_dream/pseuds/i_once_wrote_a_dream
Summary: Now? Now you listen to me?
Relationships: Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen
Series: Fictober 2019 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1513115
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	Watch It All Turn To Dust

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So 2020 huh? I'm super good at the consistency thing, I know. I don't really have any excuses other than I was working every day this holiday, but you're not here for that. Onto the story that's lowkey rushed, and I'm not sure I can promise anything better. But I am for damn sure going to finish this series!!

Isak scoffs into his fries as Even tells another one of his oh-so-interesting stories from the set of the cooking show he’s interning on. He doesn’t really get why his friends are so enamoured with the guy anyway. Sure he’s handsome and all; if tall, blond, gorgeous, and blue-eyed is your thing. And Isak supposes he can be charming, but he’s more annoying than anything. And arrogant. As if none of the others lead interesting lives. And no one seems to think anything of the way he controls every single conversation their group has. Finally, he looks up to see the others staring back at him. 

“Uh, what?” Noora pipes up, and of course, she would.

“Even asked if you had something to say.” She smiles at the man who’s staring at Isak a little too closely like he’s seeing something in Isak. And Isak doesn’t fucking like it. So he looks at him dead in the eye and says, “Oh no, what could I, boring little Isak have to say to someone so impressive as Even? I couldn’t think of a single -”

“Ok, ok, we get it. You don’t have to be such a dick, man.” Isak sticks his tongue out at Eva and stands up, grabbing his backpack. 

“That’s about as much social interaction I can handle today, so I’m gonna go be a dick to some books in the library.” There are a few protests, but Isak ignores it and tosses a napkin onto the table. “Later, bitches.”

Outside, Isak sighs. He doesn’t really have a date with his textbooks, although considering how many pages of his paper he’s actually written, he definitely should. It’s just, he doesn’t really get where he fits into the group, now that Even’s joined them. Like before, they were this well-oiled machine. Jonas was his best friend and the token politically aware stoner. Eva, his fun-loving girlfriend, was also Isak’s closest confidante. Mahdi was the most chill guy around, and Magnus was comic relief. His girlfriend, Vilde, was the neurotic glue that held the group together by always organizing group activities and general hangouts. Noora, well she was Noora. She just mom-ed the fuck out of everyone and it all worked. Sana was a bit of a mystery to Isak, but even she had her place in their group dynamic. Then Magnus brought Even to lunch one day and suddenly everything had changed. 

Everyone was doing new shit with Even and it made Isak’s head spin a bit. Jonas’ philosophical ramblings got weirder somehow, and with Even’s encouragement, he joined speech and debate and finally decided he was going into law. Even got Vilde into photography and by extension, Eva into modelling. They don’t talk anymore. She’s busy meeting with other photographers and ‘perfecting her portfolio.’ Mahdi shared his poetry and suddenly he’s hanging out with the most pretentious lit majors. Everything is just so different and somehow it all has to do with Even and Isak just doesn’t like it. 

There’s a minuscule part of him that knows none of this is bad. In fact, it’s all really great and he’s happy for his friends newfound successes. But the larger, more selfish bit of Isak is jealous. And doesn’t know how to handle the change. And more than a bit jaded that everyone seems to be ignoring him in favour of their shiny, new friend. 

Isak can admit that Even isn’t actually that bad. Only to himself at around three am when his insomnia hits hard and not a soul knows he’s still up. He kicks a rock out of the way as he approaches the tram stop. 

“Isak, wait the fuck up.” He looks up to see a red-faced Even awkwardly tripping over his feet a couple of metres away. “Did you not hear me calling after you the whole way here?” Isak pulls out an earbud and dangles it between their faces.

“What do you want, Even.” He sighs just so that Even knows he’s exasperated by his presence.  
“I didn’t think you should walk alone. You know, with everything going on in the news. And, uh. I’m sorry. If I did something to make you not like me, or whatever.” He mumbles the last bit, but Isak’s taken aback. He’s not sure how to navigate this.

“Uh, you didn’t. I don’t not like you or whatever.’” Is the ground splitting open too much to ask? 

“Really? It seems like it, though.” Even scratches the back of his head, and Isak kind of wants to swoon. It’s all very American teen rom-com, so Isak needs to shut this shit down.

“Look, Even I’m sure you’re great and all, everyone else seems to think you’re the reason the sun fucking rises. But have you thought that maybe, just maybe, you’re not the most important thing in my life? Like honestly I don’t really think about you. So it’s not that I don’t like you, it’s that I just don’t care.” It’s harsh, he knows. And Isak feels so guilty for the way Even’s face falls, but the whole running after him thing just to apologize? It’s a little more than Isak can handle. He puts the earbud back in and steps onto the tram that’s just pulled up, before turning back. “Sorry, that came out worse than I meant for it sound. Just, have a good night ok?”

Even nods and gives Isak a small, sad smile. “Bye, Isak.”

.

The world goes to shit 10 days later. And three months after that, Isak doesn’t have time to think about his friends or family when he’s suddenly too busy fighting off those things and trying to keep the library secure. He hardly sleeps anymore. Even if his sleep schedule has always been shit, he’s hardly getting more than a few hours a week. When the exhaustion catches up to him enough to make him hallucinate, he imagines Jonas giving him a stern talking to before he drifts off into a fitful nap. Yousef, someone he only met through Sana and even then not really, manages to keep the small group of students and the elderly librarian calm enough to come up with a tentative plan. They spend their days fortifying the building, sealing any and every entrance, and their nights silently praying for morning to come without incident.

.

“We’re running out of food.” Yousef looks pale as he delivers the news to Isak. The last supply run had resulted in a casualty that they don’t really talk about. 

“So we make a run.” Isak tries to be strong but he’s so, so tired.

“How do we do that, Isak? No one wants to go after what happened to…” Yousef trails off, and Isak places a hand on his shoulder. Yousef and Adam were best friends. Brothers. 

“I can go alone, Yousef.” Yousef immediately disagrees, refusing to let Isak do something so stupid.  
“I’m not letting you go out on a suicide mission. I’ll convince the others to come with us. We’ll arm ourselves better this time.” Isak just nods. None of their group would want to risk their lives. Isak knows what has to be done.  
.  
He waits for everyone to fall asleep. And then a little while longer. By now Isak knows when Yousef is out for good. He tip-toes to the front door, picking up a makeshift stake (a chair leg sharpened to a dangerous point), three duffel bags, and keys to the bike locks. He drops a quick note on one of the remaining desks so that Yousef doesn't do anything stupid if he doesn’t come back in time. Isak sneaks past a sleeping Julian, and normally he would give him shit for that but, in this case, Isak thanks whatever’s up there that Julian isn’t good at anything important. 

There’s nothing but cold air whipping in his face when he’s finally outside. Isak’s bike is locked to the rack with the others’. He makes quick work of the lock. And then he hears it. The unmistakable groan and thud of one of them. a...god, Isak hated even thinking it, zombie. It shouldn’t be real, but it is and he’s living it. 

Isak is fast, though. He has the upper hand when it's just one of them. He races away, toward the supermarket. His chances of finding anything good were slim, but it’s the closest place on his list. He passes a few more, but the streets are mostly empty. 

The glass door is shattered, and while Isak didn’t expect it to be pristine, vandalism never meant anything good. Slowly, he walked over the jagged door frame and began to inspect the nearly empty shelves. There are some packets of crispbread. And chips. Isak almost smiles when he sees a bar of chocolate between two racks. As he’s bending to pick it up, something heavy pulls him to the floor. Isak is about to scream when a hand clamps over his mouth.

“Isak, I’ll let go if you promise not to make a sound. One of them just walked in and I don’t know about you but I want a shot at getting out of here alive.” Isak frantically nods, and he’s free. The weight comes off him, and Isak can see the dirty, matted and still unmistakably blond mop of hair he had been trying not to think about just days earlier.

“Even?” Isak hasn’t felt so relieved in such a long time. He almost feels safe. “Holy shit, Even. What are you doing here?” Even doesn’t answer, just presses a finger to his lips. He thought the store was empty but they can’t be too sure. Even slowly stands, gesturing for Isak to have his stake ready. 

Even turns the corner, keeping himself between Isak and whatever danger may be lurking. Isak feels a pang of guilt but pushes it down to deal with later. The threat of being infected looming over their heads. 

Suddenly the racks come crashing down, Even gets caught under a couple, a wretched crunching sound followed by a low moan. He can hear Even swearing and wants to help him but Isak whips around to see the rotting face of his anatomy professor inches away from his own.  
“Isak, look out!” As it readies itself to bite into Isak, he drives the stake into its head. The wood sinks into soft exposed bone, making whatever lay underneath squirt out and onto Isak. He flinches at the putrid liquid hitting his eye. He throws his former professor off of him, Isak shuffles back towards Even and lets himself be enveloped by his warm embrace. 

“I didn’t think I was going to see you again.” Even smiles and Isak feels like he can breathe again.Then he winces and Isak realizes he’s resting on Even’s leg. 

“Is it broken?” Even shakes his head.

“Maybe, I don’t know. It just. Hurts a lot.” A shelf had shattered into and around Even’s legs, splintered wood sticking out of Even. Isak gently picks up the larger pieces of the shelf, to get a better look at the damage. The more he clears space, Isak sees just how awful it looks, bent at an unnatural angle.

“Even.” Isak breathes. He has to hold back the urge to gag and breathes through his nose as he gets closer to inspect Even’s wounds. “It’s definitely broken. And these could get infected if we don’t pull out the splinters and wrap it all up.” Even winces again as Isak’s hand brushes a particularly nasty looking gash. 

“Sorry.” Even shakes his head, but he’s gone pale white and Isak is worried he’s going to pass out. “It’s going to hurt like hell, but do you think you can stand. I’ll carry you as much as possible.”He closes his eyes, before breathing out a ragged breath. Even pushes himself up a little bit, just enough for Isak to get a good grip on him. As they stand together, Even sways, unable to put any weight on his injured leg. Isak easily balances them both and begins the slow waddle to the door.

“Uh, Isak?” Even’s stopped moving, staring outside at something Isak wasn’t able to see. Isak hears it, though. Dread fills him as he tries to ignore the telltale groaning of the monsters, pushing on to make it out of the door before any of them get too close.

“Even we need to make this as fast as possible. I don’t know if we’ll be able to ride back fast enough when your leg is all...you know.” He ushers them closer to the broken glass door when Even grabs the back of Isak’s shirt, pulling them to a halt.

”Isak, Jesus. Can you just stop.” A familiar flare of annoyance shoots through Isak, as Even’s...Even-ness begins to permeate the area between them and its almost suffocating. Even hurt, he’s doing that thing. Even looks at him with red-rimmed eyes and a sad smile. “You have to leave me here.” 

What?

“Even. Absolutely not. I’ve heard some real bullshit in my life but that’s the single stupidest thing anyone has ever said to-”

“Isak,” Even lets go of the shelf supporting him and cups Isak’s cheek. “You are so wonderful. I wish we’d have gotten along better before, you know?” He stares so deeply into Issak that he’s convinced Even can see down to the very core of his being. “I can’t be the one to slow you down. I hate to think about what could happen-”

Isak latches onto Even and presses their lips together. Even gasps and Isak bites his lip hungrily, before pushing himself off of Even. “You’re not allowed to finish that sentence. I don’t care how hard it will be, we’re getting out of here together.” Even looks dazed for a moment, but begins to shake his head as if that would change Isak’s mind. 

A bright light flashes beside them and they look over to see a Jeep park in front of the door. A Jeep that Isak knows all too well. He slumps against Even, sliding a hand down to hold his. 

“Isak, what the fuck?” Yousef hops out of the car, his own stake hanging loosely from his hand. “Are you stupid? I don’t care what kind of warm bodies bullshit you’re trying to pull, this was so reckless. Do you not remember what happened to Adam? We can’t-” Yousef stops, and finally looks at Even.

“What happened to Adam?” Even’s voice is strained, and Isak, remembering his leg, rushes to support Even. Yousef walks over, a rare grin making its way onto his face. 

“Even?” He smiles weakly at his friend, leaning on Isak to wave at him. They’re about to embrace when something crashes behind them. 

“As touching as this whole reunion is, we need to get the hell out of here.” Yousef flicks his head sharply. 

“Now? Now, you listen to me?” Isak hoists Even up a little bit, taking on more of his weight.  
“You can tell me how wrong I was on the ride back. But let’s just get Even out of here, please. He’s hurt pretty bad. Getting Even into the Jeep proves to be much more challenging than they thought, but when it's done, Isak hops into the back and pulls Even’s head onto his lap.

They drive past the ruins of the city Isak used to love so much, as Even tells them about how he’s been surviving to distract from the pain. 

“Everyone? Seriously?” Even smiles up at Isak, revelling in the feeling of Isak’s fingers in his hair. He thinks back to before when all he wanted was Isak’s attention. A part of him knows that Isak is only putting up with him because he reminds him of his old life. His friends. He knows that when they all meet again, Isak will go back to being annoyed by Even’s every move. But he can’t help himself. Even is a romantic through and through, and will take whatever Isak can give him for however long. 

“We were all together when the sirens started going off. Really though, we wouldn’t have made it without Sana. She’s got a working radio and everything.” 

Isak feels overwhelming relief flooding through him and he can't help but lean down to kiss Even once again. He can do that now, and so he will.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments/Kudos are lovely!


End file.
